Miss Representation

"Miss Representation" makes some very good points, but the execution was a bit of a turnoff. That opening strings score while statistics are being thrown on to the screen borders on fear-mongering, and Jennifer Newsom cuts in throughout with a somber voice-over. The front end of this thing skews melodramatic.

Eventually, the documentary settles into the material, and it makes a solid argument. The shocking double standard of judging (and prizing) women differently than men in the media, the teenagers who work overtime to fit a media ideal. It's an engaging piece.

This is worth it if you can get beyond the clumsy opening. I have a child of my own, and I can empathize with Newsom in worrying about the world in which she'll grow up. It's just that the motherhood aspect was shoe-horned into the documentary.

6/10

First off - I'm a guy. Albeit a guy who had graduate level feminist media theory classes 20 years ago - I'm a guy none-the-less. And I think people who know me would probably consider me "a guy's guy" overall.

The film is filled with much of what we studied in graduate school in the early 90s. So I guess there was a lot of "no duh" moments for me in it. But if it opens some people's eyes then it's worth it. The messages are essential to the health of our daughters, sons and country as a whole. Many of what I thought were the most important parts of the film were "glossed over," but that may be my view/perspective. For example, to me THE MOST important point in the film is that TV shows are essentially "made for men 18-34." Why - because that demographic doesn't really watch TV unless they're driven to the set somehow. TV show creators don't worry about women - because women watch TV anyway.

Think about that - most of us can agree that most of what's on TV is crap. And yet, the people who make TV don't worry about losing the female audience at all. Until women turn off the crap on TV, I doubt that will change.

Hit or miss (no pun intended) outing for a first time director. Great messages, important content, mediocre execution. Probably too much "sexual imagery" for me to let my 12 year old daughter watch it - but soon. And everyone over 15 should be aware of the subject matter. This is as good a way as any.

The overall aim of this documentary is well received. It's clear what the subject is and it makes its points clearly. But the editing and production was a little confusing at times, and I found the narration of the producer to be at times not really related to the context. I understand the role of bringing it back to a newly born child. I also felt there could have been a greater emphasis on what society should do, not just on women lifting women up. As a mother of boys, I felt that part was missing. Overall though, really good work

Some will see Miss Representation as a bunch of hack women complaining about a problem and are not willing to do anything about it. It's an understandable reaction. I've seen so many documentaries that bathe the viewer in paranoia and fear without providing valid solutions or ways that they could fix potential problems. Food, Inc. for example; a well-made, yet somewhat heavy-handed documentary on the exploitation of how our food is made.

Miss Representation's goal is to inform people about the blatant sexism in Television, advertising, society, politics, and film. It does a very nice job at providing each of their subjects with material and substance, also giving them enough time to get their point across. I believe more than eight minutes is devoted to the political aspect, and several more to Television and film. For an eighty-eight minute documentary, it covers a lot of heavy territory, and even, gasp, includes efficient solutions during the end credits.

The interviewees are Geena Davis, Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rosario Dawson, Jim Steyer, Dr. Jackson Katz, and Gloria Steinem, who all comment on the media's insidiously harmful portrayal of women. Comments are made on how advertising has evolved from genial snippets into racy, sexploitation spots begging to be noticed and controversial. It has been proved in the field of advertising that sex sells, and companies race their commercials and magazine advertisements to an invisible finish line to see who can be more daring and provocative.

But what are the consequences for imposing such demeaning pictures of women? For one, there's the obligatory "striving for unsustainable beauty" argument. I don't think there is one person who believes that what they see on the front cover on a tabloid or a magazine has not been digitally altered or photoshopped in some way, shape, or form. Most likely, all three of those things have been changed on a picture of a woman, and it's not hard to find out. How many women do you know have pearly white skin and don't occupy a single blemish, mole, pimple, or scar? I remember on KISS FM's "DreX in the Morning" radio program they discussed how parental browbeating and mediocre, sometimes abusive relationships affect a woman's already fragile self-esteem and worth. They brought up how on a magazine cover, Brittney Spears' face was photoshopped onto the body she occupied in the nineties.

Miss Representation doesn't break new ground or uncover anything that wasn't pretty much known before, but will likely be useful to teenage girls who are perhaps unaware of the media bias. I unfortunately missed a screening of this at my high school and a lengthy lecture following it. It would've been nice to see audiences reactions in the flesh. I can see some dismissing this as mock-feminist propaganda and I can see people being truly informed and moved by this documentary. Me, I stand where I usually am; in the middle. This is a well made documentary, but not without my personal quibbles and questions. For one, the film mentions that there are very few women directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, etc. Okay, but are women being forced out by the big, bad man, or are they just not showing a genuine interest in the behind the scenes aspects of the film industry? Another thing I must bring up; maybe it's not the studios' fault that women are portrayed so dimly in film. You can't tell me that actresses like Megan Fox and Jessica Simpson don't contract themselves to basically flaunt their stuff in films like The Dukes of Hazzard and Transformers. They know what they're getting into, and appear to have no problem showing what they have. I'm not saying it's right, but maybe the film is too quick to point figures at the provider rather than the person signing the contract and giving consent to be used as a basic caricature.

Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom has done a bold and admirable thing releasing Miss Representation, not only letting it glide its way around the country in screenings, but by giving the distribution rights to The Oprah Winfrey Network. This is an informative and amusing documentary showing us that our biggest source of information also serves as our biggest influence on people, good and bad. I'll leave off with a quote from Jim Steyer, one of my favorite speakers in the film; "It's not a Liberal or Conservative issue; it's an American issue and an American problem." Starring: Geena Davis, Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rosario Dawson, Jim Steyer, Dr. Jackson Katz, and Gloria Steinem. Directed by: Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

I just wanted to write a response to the Review floating around from TVGUY that said it was "OK". First off, just because you're showing images of sexualized women, doesn't mean it's going against what the film is for. THEY'RE showing you the exact images that are being consumed by the masses, and THEN backing it up with evidence of how detrimental it is to women and men. If you don't want your girl seeing it in the context of it being negative then that's your prerogative; but at least they aren't glamorizing it... you think your little girl won't see it somewhere else? It's basically PLASTERED in our minds.

This was a great movie... it broke down the stereotypes and misogyny in the industry and really dissects the machine that controls the masses; media. Not only does it focus on Women's oppression, but also on the monopoly that the media has become... it's quite scary how controlling and how much dominance this institution has on the masses and consequently the public realm and government. This is no man hating by any means, they even draw the connections on how men are oppressed because of the oppression of women. EVERYONE should watch this... truly enlightening. If you think misogyny and female oppression is the only thing the Machine pushing and is the only problem going on then you're wrong... Oppression and violence will not be rid of in societies until we begin to hold the media and said institutions accountable. Anything corporations get a hold of turns into complete crap. Start thinking with your own minds, maybe then will you truly live a happy life and provide a safe place for both daughters AND sons.